Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CLEMENS, Andrew
CLEMENS, Andrew. (Dubuque, IA, Jan. 29, 1857—McGregor, IA, May 12, 1894). Artist. Using sand found locally, Clemens created portrait-quality pictures within glass bottles. Clemens collected sand from the bluffs within what was later Pikes Peak State Park south of McGregor. Separating the grains into forty-two colors, he then dried and ground the sand. Often with his head just above the table, he moved the grains of sand into position in the bottle with sharpened sticks. As he improved his work, Clemens’ designs included names, dates and inscriptions.
A deaf mute as a result of serious childhood illness, Clemens used the sand pictures to help support himself. He sold his work to tourists and riverboat passengers for between 50 cents to $8.00. One of his largest projects was a 12-inch jar featuring a picture of a steamboat, Native Americans, and the Great Seal of Iowa on one side and a picture of George Washington on the other.
Although many of his jars have been broken, an estimated fifty remain in private collections or museums including the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines.